How Tempting! – March 2014

Right, I said I was going to buy less this month and I meant it! So really, the last thing I ought to be doing is poring over the new release schedules… but fearlessness and iron will come with the territory when you’re the Heavy Metal Overlord so I’m going to do it anyway. So you don’t have to.

I prefer the cover with the bum on it

Cheer up Wizard! Have an Irn-Bru

The one true must-buy of the month has got to be Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven: 20th AnniversaryEdition (out 24th March) with a bonus CD of their 1994 Donington set. I’m not a big fan of re-recorded albums but Manowar have unleashed Kings of Metal MMXIV (out now), a re-recording of their classic album. I’m a little tempted but I can’t help feeling this kind of thing is just pointless. Do I buy it just to stay in the loop? I haven’t kept pace with Magnum’s recent output since Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow in 2007 so I’m not sure if I’m interested in Escape From the Shadow Garden (out 24th March). I’m tempted to check in on them and see what they’re up to though.

The Cattle Grazes On?

Deep Purple Live album no 258

There are a couple of Deep Purple reissues to think about in March. Hear No Evil have just released a double disc of The Battle Rages On paired with the Come Hell or High Water live album (out now). Nothing new there if you already own both but I don’t have either of those so it’s enticingly cheap and looks nice too! For completists there is a 2CD/DVD reissue of their Stockholm 1970 live set (out 10th March.) I have a version of that already and it’s excellent but now it’s bolstered with some two bonus live tracks recorded in Paris in 1970 (I’m thinking these are audio from the “Pop Deux” tracks on the History, Hits and Highlights DVD?) and the full “Doing Their Thing” set from Granada TV on DVD. Apparently this is the first full DVD outing for the Granada set (Blackmore playing his Gibson!) but not sure about the Paris tracks. Worth buying again?

Rod Stewart’s monster four-disc live anthology, Live 1976-1998: Tonight’s The Night (out 17th March) looks like a blast if you like that sort of thing (I do) and his old Faces chum Ronnie Lane (with his band Slim Chance) gets anthologised in the 2CD Ooh La La: An Island Harvest (10th March). The Slim Chance albums have become fairly hard to come by lately so a good compilation is very welcome.

Scott Ian, front and centre, for no reason whatsoever

There’s an unofficial archive Rush live album due out called Spirit of the Airwaves (1980 Live Radio Broadcast) (10th March). I don’t see any rare tracks being aired here so I don’t know how appealing that will be to all you Rush fanatics out there. I’ll pass.

Anyone heard The Gathering album Always…? I haven’t but it did appear on a Terrorizer “Top Doom albums” type list so that puts it on my radar straight away. Not sure about that cover though…

And speaking of album covers… there is the Ronnie James Dio tribute album This Is Your Life (31st March). The list of participating acts is absolutely stellar which tells you everything you need to know about the great man but I don’t like tribute albums and the cover genuinely makes my skin crawl. It’s so bad. There are definitely some songs on it that I’d like to hear but, if I’m honest, I don’t want the whole thing.

And that’s the March releases that especially stand out to me. If there’s anything cool I may have missed, or anything I really should have missed, please tell me about it. Expect to see the Pantera reissue show up in the next Buying Round-Up but, apart from that, it’s really anyone’s guess!

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34 thoughts on “How Tempting! – March 2014”

I was skeptical about that Rush disc but based on feedback I’ve received from people who have that show in bootleg format, the performance is amazing and the sound quality is very good. I didn’t see them on the Permanent Waves tour but did see them the following year in support of Moving Pictures, so I’m very excited to finally hear how they sounded in concert the year I discovered them…1980. I also have my eye on that Ronnie Lane package.

Hope you manage to find most/all of your tempting discs for a great price. Happy shopping!

That’s great info on the Rush disc, Rich. I There seems to be lots of these old radio broadcasts being issued now. I’ve only bought a couple so far but they’ve both been great. That’s cool that the dates for in with your discovery!

I was looking into getting Ronnie Lane stuff a wee while back so this has came at a good time!

I think it was you HMO who recommended the faces ‘a horse…’ – and I ended up being a big fan! The Ronnie Lane one is therefore an intriguing one. The Rod Stewart one is an interesting time frame – are the discs a mix, or from specific, notable shows?

I think I did recommend that one. Along with Rich possibly? I think the Rod is a mix. In chronological order but in the later recordings he’s still playing a lot of older material so there are a lot of great songs on there. Looks great!

And fucka-lucka-ding-dong, I DID NOT know about that Purple Stockholm release. What do I do now? I’m supposed to be taking it easy on my spending! I want that Dio too but I will pass on the Japanese edition. I don’t need the Dio Diciples track.

Have you looked into the Stockholm release now? Any more info on the extras? I know they did the Denmark 72 a while back with extras too. I don’t know if I can bring myself to buy all this stuff again though…

I’d say it was a bit of a middling month for me actually. Not a lot that’s screaming BUY ME NOW apart from the Pantera. The Rod and Ronnie will definitely get bought at some point though. And the Manowar… how do you feel about those kind of things?

Really? Wow, I missed my guess. To me, that’s a lot of sweet, sweet tunes you’ve listed up there at the top of the page.

For the Manowar, I just don’t know. Is a rerecording worth it? Why would they even bother? Why not just make new music? Or, have they also added a whole lot of special stuff that makes it worth your while?

I don’t think I own any re-recorded albums, though there is one on my want-list, the re-make of the Cowboy Junkies’ Trinity Sessions. They went back to the same church in Toronto years later, crowded around one mike like they did the first time, and did it again. Now that I would buy, just ‘cos that record is so damn good. And yes, I already own the old one. To me though, that one would be worth it.

Now as for remasters, like the Pantera, I don’t generally buy remasters. Especially not when I already own the damn thing (although I do not own that Pantera album). However, I understand the desire to get all the extra tracks and goodies that come with such projects (that’s our Lebeard, for certain) and I can’t knock it because, as I’ve been proving over on the KMA, I am sometimes the gleeful beneficiary of the old copies when the replacements arrive! So awesome. So, the Pantera… A full live set would be worth it, but to me I’d rather they just release the live album separate, for those who want it. I mean, if you already have the album, you’re paying full price and you only want one of the two discs, essentially.

Now, I do own a few remasters, like the recent Stones ones (of course, because I’m a fan and I wanted the extra discs of unreleased songs – though I got those free through Airmiles so I can’t complain), and a Stevie Ray Vaughan (although in that case I thought I’d ordered the regular CD and the remaster showed up, and it was so damn good I just kept it). But no, me, I generally just trundle along with the good old ones and that’s just fine by me. So, all you gotta do is decide if it’s worth it for you. If it is, spend them pounds! If not, well, use yer funds towards other goodness.

I don’t know what Manowar are thinking. I think it’s a money thing most likely. Trading on former glories and probably getting to get back royalties for songs that were on former labels etc… It’s probably an interesting listen but inessential. But who am I kidding? It’s Manowar! I’ll probably buy it anyway.

I doubt the Pantera will be stupidly expensive so it’ll be good value for the extra disc. And I like the remastering. The previous remasters of theirs have sounded amazing. But I get what you’re saying. Some bands I want that and some I’ll just be happy with the albums.

Sometimes now I’m finding that albums are being reissued for the 2nd or 3rd time though! I’ve got less time for that.

That’s fair enough. It’s always a risk using a new seller. I’ve never used the company that Gojira are using to sell this so I can’t recommend them one way or another! Hopefully it’ll get a wider release at some point.

Disappointed with the Pantera reissue. Remastering aside, the Donington bootleg has been available (in good quality) for a while now on them there interwebs. Such a missed opportunity to give us a complete show from the FBD tour. I know they recorded the Brixton show as the used live tracks of the Planet Caravan singles.

Thanks for the info. I didn’t know much about what was already or there. It doesn’t surprise me that the Donington show was or there cause those always got recorded for radio didn’t they? I don’t understand why the Cowboys reissue had 3 discs worth and this and Vulgar have been a bit skimpy by comparison. Missed opportunity… I’ll keep an eye out for those singles!

It was indeed. I *think* it might been broadcast as part of a Friday Rock Show type thing…. either that or the audio I have is from a foreign broadcast. Can’t imagine Radio 1 played it live on the day 😉

Yeah the disparity between reissues is odd. The ultimate losers are the fans really. I know most of these things are dictated and generated by the record labels but so much more could be done if they REALLY put their minds to it. Live shows, DVDs etc etc. Shame really, but that’s they way it is I guess.